Dreaming is an English word commonly used by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people alike to describe Aboriginal cosmology and the genesis of the world. The Dreaming encompasses the ancestral narratives about the supernatural and ancestral beings, and their epic deeds of creation.
Each narrative is known as a 'Dreaming'. The entire Australian continent is covered in an intricate web of Dreamings or ancestral tracks. Ceremonies provide a link between the people and The Dreaming and ensure that vital components of this law and The Dreaming stay intact. They provide a time where all people in a language group work together for the survival of The Dreaming. When discussing specific ceremonies to be performed in the modern era it is important to have a local Aboriginal person present due to the sensitive and sacred nature of some ceremony.
There reasons for ceremonies in Aboriginal society, all hold a strong ties with The Dreaming. Welcome To Country is a speech delivered by an aboriginal elder of the land and is a sign of respect to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land past.
Today, it is common protocol for businesses, Local Governments, conferences and forums, sporting clubs, official openings and ceremonies, and other events for Welcomes to Country to be performed by an Aboriginal custodian of the land. Koomurri aboriginal dance troupe work closely with aboriginal elders and land councils across Australia to ensure the traditional welcome will be delivered by a local elder. A smoking ceremony is an ancient aboriginal custom in Australia that involves burning various native plants to produce smoke, which has cleansing properties and the ability to ward off bad spirits from the people and the land and make pathway for a brighter future.
Certain traditional smoking ceremonies are also believed to be used for positive therapeutic outcomes dependant on what plants are available from region to region. When you see a smoking ceremony happening, it is a gift from the aboriginal people to all people in Australia so make sure you go to the smoke and wave it over you and cleanse the past for a better future. A Corroboree is a gathering of Aboriginal Australians interacting with the Dreaming through song and dance.
There are different corroboree's for sacred ceremony, meetings, celebrations, initiation rituals and all differ heavily from language mob to language mob across the country. Sacred Corroboree's are held on country and are private. Koomurri have developed highly entertaining corroboree's that teach the dreaming stories through didgeridoo, language song-man rhythmic clap sticks, song and dance and we cater for small groups to large world class events.
Dreaming stories carry the truth from the past, together with the code for the Law, which operates in the present. Each story belongs to a long complex story. Some Dreaming stories discuss consequences and our future being. When a story is a component of an Aboriginal Dreaming story and is told outside of the country it belongs to, then it is respected as an Aboriginal Dreaming Story from that area and may be shared, however within its country it remains a significant, sacred Dreaming story.
It is important to give recognition of the origins of the Dreaming Story. It is part of their history and these rituals and ceremonies still play a vital part in the Aboriginal culture.
They are still practiced in some parts of Australia in the belief that it will grant a prosperous supply of plants and animal foods. Religion and land are the key determinants of Aboriginal culture, traditions, customs and beliefs. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, land, sea and spirituality are the foundations on which their culture has been built. The Aboriginal Dreamtime is the part of Aboriginal culture that explains the origins of the land and its people. Participation in ceremonies may also be limited by age.
Children may be involved in some ceremonies, while other ceremonies are restricted to adolescents and adults. Certain ceremonies are specifically for older community members. The Elders organized and ran ceremonies that were designed to teach particular aspects of the lore of their people, spiritual beliefs and survival skills. In marriage ceremonies the Aboriginal people are adorned with body paint and wear traditional headdress.
Distinguishing decorative body painting indicates the type of ceremony being performed. Ceremonial dress varies from region to region and includes body paint, brightly coloured feathers from birds and ornamental coverings. Clans of the Eora Nation. There are about 29 clan groups of the Sydney metropolitan area, referred to collectively as the Eora Nation.
It is generally acknowledged that the Eora are the coastal people of the Sydney area. The Eora nation boys participated in a tooth ceremony where their front tooth was knocked out. The missing tooth was a sign to others that the person had been initiated. Invariably initiates might have their ears or nose pierced.
During the Initiation process a boy was trained in the skills, beliefs and knowledge he needed for his role as an adult in Aboriginal society. Many initiation ceremonies were secret and only attended by men.
Women were forbidden to be present. This may last some weeks and involves learning sacred songs, dances, stories, and traditional lore. Circumcision, scarification, and removal of a tooth as mentioned earlier, or a part of a finger are often involved. Female Elders also prepared girls for adulthood. They taught the young females culinary and medicinal knowledge of plants and roots, and how to track small animals and find bush tucker.
Some female ceremonies included knowledge of ceremonial bathing, being parted from their people for long periods, and learning which foods were forbidden. Many ceremonies took place in stages, which could be part of a longer process lasting over several years.
For example, ceremonies around death would vary depending on the person and the group and could go for many months or even over years. Decorative body painting indicated the type of ceremony performed. Ceremonial dress varied from region to region and included body paint, brightly coloured feathers from birds and ornamental coverings.
Aboriginal people perform Funeral ceremonies as understandably the death of a person is a very important event. The people often paint themselves white, wound or cut their own bodies to show their sorrow for the loss of their loved one. Burial practices differ all over Australia, particularly in parts of southern and central Australia to the north.
Aboriginal people still maintain their ancient burial ceremonies and rituals. These are of crucial importance and involve the whole community. These Sacred Dreaming paths are where mythological ancestral beings travelled and caused the natural features of the country to come into being by their actions.
These events are sung in ceremonies that take many days or even weeks. The primary burial is when the corpse is laid out on an elevated wooden platform, covered in leaves and branches, and left several months to rot and let the muscle and flesh separate away from the bones.
The secondary burial is when the bones are collected from the platform, painted with red ochre, and then dispersed in different ways. On occasion a relative will carry a portion of the bones with them for a year or more. Sometimes they are wrapped in paperbark and deposited in a cave shelter, where they are left to disintegrate with time.
In parts of Arnhem Land the bones are placed into a large hollow log and left at a chosen area of bushland.
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